Qualitative study of health inequalities in SMI
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Experiences of physical health problems in severe mental illness and accessing care-a qualitative study with service users and clinical staff
IRAS ID
211971
Contact name
Jayati Das-Munshi
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 3 months, 15 days
Research summary
People with severe mental health problems such as schizophrenia experience a 11-17 year reduction in life expectancy, mostly through preventable physical causes such as heart disease, lung conditions and cancers. This may be because people with severe mental health problems may be less likely to have their physical health problems adequately assessed and managed. Health-related behaviours such as tobacco use, diet and exercise alongside impact of medications such as antipsychotics and the impact of social/ economic disadvantage have been implicated.
We know very little about the specific challenges experienced by people who identify as being of an ethnic minority background alongside living with a severe mental illness. This is a concern as many health conditions such as diabetes, which are more likely in people with severe mental illness, are also more likely in many of the main ethnic minority groups in the UK. Do ethnic minority people living with severe mental illnesses experience additional difficulties in accessing physical health treatments? There are concerns that ethnic minority service users may experience discrimination through mental health services and it is unclear if this has a detrimental impact on physical health.In this study we will conduct focus groups with individuals who have experience of living with a severe mental illness to understand the specific barriers to accessing care. Initially we will conduct focus groups with people with severe mental illness from un-selected ethnic minority backgrounds to understand broad challenges, later focus groups will be selected to include people of a specific ethnic minority background(eg.Black Caribbean or Black African)to explore themes which may not be apparent in the mixed ethnicity groups. We will then conduct up to 20 individual interviews to supplement focus groups and explore sensitive topics in further depth.
We will also conduct focus groups with clinical staff to understand their perspective.REC name
London - Camberwell St Giles Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/LO/0056
Date of REC Opinion
9 Mar 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion